CityViews: What RAD Means for NYCHA Residents

As it seeks to close a nine-digit budget gap and preserve the apartments that house upwards of 400,000 New Yorkers, the New York City Housing Authority has embraced a number of new financial tools. Some of those new tactics involve shifting traditional public housing to other funding streams like Section 8, with private investors also playing a part. The RAD, or Rental Assistance Demonstration project, is one such approach. RAD makes some advocates nervous because it could alter the rights and role of NYCHA tenants. Proponents, however, believe those risks are less serious a threat than NYCHA’s financial problems and maintenance backlog. Below, the New York Housing Conference makes the case for RAD. Read City Limits’ reporting on the program here.